News

Single nanowires shown emitting different colors.

‘Soft’ semiconductors could transform HD displays

06/29/17 Berkeley Lab — A class of semiconductors called halide perovskites could usher in new generation of optoelectronic devices, according to Berkeley Lab scientists led by materials science and engineering professor Peidong Yang.

Chengzhi Shi checks the connections between the transducer array and the digital circuit.

High-speed communications for the deep sea?

06/29/17 Berkeley Lab — A new approach to sending acoustic waves through water could open up the world of high-speed communications to activities underwater (including scuba diving, remote ocean monitoring and deep-sea exploration), according to research led by mechanical engineering professor Xiang Zhang.

Berkeley alum Anantha Chandrakasan named MIT dean of engineering

06/23/17 MIT — Anantha P. Chandrakasan (B.S.'89, M.S.'90, Ph.D.'94 EECS) has been named dean of MIT's School of Engineering. Earlier this year, Chandrakasan received an Electrical Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award from UC Berkeley.

David Sedlak by the reflecting pool in front of Hearst Memorial Mining Building

On California, the drought and the ‘yuck factor’

06/23/17 — David Sedlak, professor of civil and environmental engineering, says our aging urban water infrastructure needs a major upgrade in order to keep our cities thriving. He spoke with Berkeley News about technologies being developed to recycle water, capture storm water and use water more efficiently.

Ana Claidia Arias with a flexible medical sensor

Ana Claudia Arias wins FLEXI R&D award

06/22/17 SEMI — EECS associate professor Ana Claudia Arias has won the 2017 FLEXI R&D Achievement award for her development of flexible medical sensors and printed flexible devices.

Dubón named vice chancellor of equity and inclusion

06/22/17 — Associate dean Oscar Dubón, professor of materials science and engineering, has been selected as UC Berkeley's next vice chancellor of equity and inclusion.

Dawn Tilbury to head NSF engineering

06/21/17 NSF — Dawn Tilbury (M.S.'92, Ph.D.'94 EECS), a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Michigan, will lead investments in fundamental engineering research and education as the newly appointed head of the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Engineering.

Imagining a post-combustion world

06/19/17 — After teaching a climate change mitigation course for more than a decade, civil and environmental engineering professor William Nazaroff has drawn a few conclusions. One is that it's time to develop and deploy technologies that move beyond combustion.

FDA clearance for Eko Devices’ latest tool

06/14/17 BioSpace — Eko Devices, a startup led by alumnus Connor Landgraf (B.S.'13, M.Eng.'14 BioE), has received FDA clearance for its second tool, a combined digital stethoscope and electrocardiogram.

Viral infections decrease muscle health

06/13/17 — UC Berkeley bioengineers, led by associate professor Irina Conboy, have found unexpected effects of viral infections on muscle regeneration and other health factors, a discovery that may explain why viruses can make people feel so lousy.

EECS alum Warren Hoburg joins astronaut corps

06/12/17 NASA — Warren “Woody” Hoburg (M.S.'11, Ph.D.'13 EECS), 31, an MIT assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics, is one of 12 new astronaut candidates selected by NASA from its largest field of applicants ever.

V&A Café brings dining and collaboration to Etcheverry

06/12/17 — The Berkeley Engineering community has an inviting new space for meetings and collaboration with the June 8 grand opening of the V&A Café in Etcheverry Hall.

Tracking the smartphone apps that are tracking you

06/06/17 Fast Company — The Haystack Project, a multi-institution collaboration at UC Berkeley's International Computer Science Institute, aims give those with mobile devices more control to police what apps do with their location and other personal data.

Students at Sather Gate with #BerkeleyBound sign

Get started at Berkeley

06/01/17 — New engineering students, get your life at Cal started with Golden Bear Orientation this summer and fall.

Avideh Zakhor: the brains behind Google Earth and Street View

05/26/17 Mercury News — EECS professor Avideh Zakhor, inventor of the 3-D modeling technology underlying Google Earth and Street View, is now turning her attention indoors. Her new startup - Indoor Reality - aims to create virtual reality and augmented reality technology for the mapping of building interiors.

EECS professor David Culler named interim dean for data sciences

05/26/17 — Chancellor-designate Carol Christ has appointed EECS professor David Culler as interim dean for the newly created Division of Data Sciences, effective July 1.

Researchers teach computers to be curious

05/25/17 Engadget — When you first played Super Mario Bros, you probably started by exploring, not by racing through the game. Berkeley computer scientists have imparted that same sense of curiosity into their algorithm in a move that could drastically advance the field of artificial intelligence.

Mark Velednitsky and the 28 pages of proof replaced by his one-page solution

IEOR grad student finds short proof for long route

05/25/17 — Graduate student Mark Velednitsky has reduced a 28-page proof for the classic traveling salesman problem to just a few lines, which will make it far more accessible to future IEOR students.

Berkeley robot practices picking up awkward and unusual objects.

Meet the most nimble-fingered robot yet

05/25/17 MIT Technology Review — A dexterous multi-fingered robot, developed by IEOR professor Ken Goldberg and his team, practiced by using virtual objects in a simulated world, showing how machine learning and the cloud could revolutionize manual work.

The fight to rethink (and reinvent) nuclear power

05/19/17 Vox — The latest in a series of Climate Lab videos produced by Vox Media and the University of California features the work of nuclear engineering professor and associate dean Per Peterson.